


Workplace Pet

by hirusen



Series: The Daily Life Of Detective Virgil Sanders [2]
Category: The Wayhaven Chronicles (Interactive Fiction)
Genre: Affection, Blood and Injury, Cuddling & Snuggling, Cute, Dog/Owner Relationship, Don't Judge Me, Gentleness, His Landlord Doesn't Allow Pets, Human/Vampire Relationship, I don't know, It's Virgil's Pet Really, Language, Like At LOT Of Kisses, Mason Gets A Lot Of Attention From The Dog, Maybe - Freeform, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, POV Alternating, POV First Person, POV Third Person, Pets, Protectiveness, Tags Are Hard, The Station Does Though, Vampires, police dog
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-12
Updated: 2018-05-13
Packaged: 2019-05-05 15:38:01
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,421
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14621765
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hirusen/pseuds/hirusen
Summary: Virgil swears he's gonna find a house one of these days.





	1. Reunion

Tina knocked on the frame to my office, knowing that I've just started to keep the damn door open cause, outside of Nate, no one in Unit Bravo can remember how to close one when they're focused on something. "You doing okay, Virgil?" I sigh, leaning back in my chair. "Not really. I'm really tired of this case not going anywhere." She offered me a sympathetic smile. We heard footfall get close to us and I knew it was the rest of the team. "Ah! And here I thought we'd find you missing us all alone!" Felix spoke up, getting both Tina and I to chuckle and shake our heads.

"I'll talk to you later, Virgil." "Yeah. Later." I wave her off and Nate--thankfully--closes the door once she's gone. "Are you doing okay, Detective? Besides being annoyed that we haven't found Murphy?" Nate asked, and I show him a gentle smile. I knew this silence from Murphy was starting to eat at their nerves too. "Yeah, just..." "What?" Felix spoke up, moving from his chair to lean against my desk (which was thankfully repaired when I was getting tested in The Agency), his amber eyes locking with my grey.

I sigh deeply, sinking further back against the chair. "I don't know. Even with all of you here with me, I've been feeling...lonely, I guess." "What? Are we not good enough company for you?" Mason asks, puffing out another cloud of smoke and I shoot him a tight glare. "If I have to find a better use for these cuffs to keep you quiet, I will." Mason purred at the threat, his wolfish grin back on his lips again and I groan, rolling my eyes at him with a small smile spreading my lips. "And I love your company. All of you. It's just..." I let out another sigh, not sure just how much more I can try to fuse with my chair. It was hard to say exactly why I was feeling as lonely as I am; no word seemed to sum it up correctly.

Suddenly there was a short yelp from the front desk, and I shot to my feet, all of us quickly exiting my office. "W-What the hell?!" Douglas shouted, having quickly moved from behind the faux-marble desk and towards Tina and the rest of us. "What's wrong?" "T-There's, there's a..." He tried to say it, but all he could really do was stutter and point to the front desk.

That's went I saw the shortest glimpse of an all too familiar tail.

"Shadow?" I softly called and out poked the head of a large dog with a light brown Husky coat. The canine happily barked and vaulted over the desk, rushing up to me while I knelt down, arms open. "Shadow! Oh, hello girl!" I laughed as she knocked me to the floor, smothering me with head nudges and kisses. "Hi, baby, hi! Oh, did you miss me?" I cooed as she jumped off me, kneeling her front down, tailing swishing so fast you could actually hear it. "She's yours?" I hear Nate ask as I got up to my feet, patting my chest so she would place her paws on my torso. "Yeah. I haven't seen her in ages though."

"I was wondering how she got out." I heard a voice speak up and I glance to the front door, giving the local vet an apologetic grin. "Sorry. I know she must have been a handful." "Actually, she was pretty well behaved...until we got closer to the station." I gently lower Shadow's paws to the floor and walk closer to the vet. "Then...she's okay?" He smiled warmly to me. "Yes. The surgeries went well. It will be at least a month before she can join you out in the field, but she'll be okay." I could only keep my grin on my face for a second before Shadow tackled into my side, knocking me back to the floor.

"Okay, okay! I'll play with you in a bit, Shadow!" She barked happily, getting off me to go get a few scratches from Tina. The vet offered me his hand which I took and helped me get back onto my feet. "I can't thank you enough for taking her in on such short notice." "It's not a problem, Detective. She's not the average dog, after all." "You can say that again." I smile to the man as he places a hand on my shoulder. "And, don't you worry about payment. Seeing her back with her owner is enough for me." "What? No, no, I really should--" "Detective, it's okay." I sighed in defeat. "Alright." The local vet patted my arm one last time before leaving.

"I'm guessing that she jumped over the desk?" I ask Douglas, who could only nod, stunned at what the hell just happened. "Gentle, girl, gentle." I coo as she walks up to Unit Bravo. Like I thought, Nate was the first one she went to; he offered her his hand to smell when she nudged her muzzle against his fingers, smiling to her warmly when she licked at his palm. Felix was next, having walked up next to Nate. She smelled his hand before her tail wagged and she bumped her nose against his hand in affection. I got a little worried when Shadow went to Adam, who had his arms crossed at the moment. She lifted her front up, paws placed against his chest, and tilted her head in confusion. She stayed like that for a good three minutes, before tilting her head the other way. Adam eventually caved after she did that a third time, stroking her head softly.

But it was Mason where she had the most interesting reaction.

He glared at her approach, and I could faintly hear him growling at her; it was the same kind of warning growl I heard from Shadow when I wasn't feeling good or was hurt, and people got too close. "Mason." Nate warned, but Shadow wasn't gonna back down just because she was growled at; it wasn't in her nature to do so. Instead, she pressed forward, her nose poking around his waist and the inside of his jacket (which I'm surprised that he decided to wear today). "What the hell do you want?" It was very clear to me that Mason was not an animal person. I noticed that she gently wedged her muzzle inside one of the pockets of his jacket before she quickly pulled back and ran towards the back of the station.

I saw the outline of the pack of cigarettes Mason always smokes in her maw.

"What the--?! HEY!" Felix and I crack up laughing as he chases her down. Or tries to. Despite Mason being a vampire, she was able to out maneuver him, ducking between tables and jumping onto chairs to knock them over. "Damn it! Virgil! Tell her to get them back!" Mason shouted as he panted lightly, coming to a stop next to Adam; Shadow proudly trotted over to my side and sat down next to me, his smokes still in her teeth, tail wagging happily. "I don't know. You seemed to have needed the run." I say with a smirk, getting a death glare from the other man. I bend down a little, put my opened hand in front of her muzzle, and she drops the smokes into my hand.

Mason starts to walk over to me after I straightened up and offered the pack to him, stilling for a moment when Shadow goes onto her hind legs, her head resting in the nook of my arm, her maw pointing right at his pack of cigarettes. "I swear, dog, you try to take my smokes again and I will turn you into a coat." She barked in a tone I knew was meant to challenge him. We both heard as Nate chuckled under his breath from her challenge. Thankfully, she decided that he could have his smokes, Mason quickly snatching them away. "No wonder I've felt lonely lately; I've missed you so much, Shadow." I spoke, stroking her soft fur as she moved so her front legs were wrapped around my waist, her head pressed against my chest.

I heard various versions of 'aw' from the people in the room.

"I bet you've missed me too." "Heh, she's a sweetheart, Detective." I grin to Nate; he wasn't wrong at all. Though, I wonder just how crazy things are gonna get around here now that I've got Shadow back?


	2. Inspection

Nate chuckles as Mason goes to his normal spot in the detective's office, lighting up a smoke, the red cherry quickly fading to about the middle in one breath. "Oh, come on, Mason! Shadow was just being playful!" Felix chimes in, but the brooding man just shoots him a glare. "I don't care what that mutt was being, it does it again and I'll skin it." Nate narrows his eyes on his fellow vampire, clearly annoyed. "Don't call her a mutt, Mason." "Well, she actually is in some sense." Nate actually jumped a little at Virgil's voice, the man grinning to him, his canine at his side.

"Shadow's mother is a German Shepard/Husky mix and her father is a wolf." "Like, wild wolf?" Felix asks and Virgil nods his head with a hum. "She's pretty protective of me, since she sees me as the dominate one, Alpha, whatever you want to call it." "How did you get her?" Adam asks, locking his eyes with Shadow as she approached him again, this time offering her his hand to scent. "She had actually escaped from the breeder that owned her mother; I think the wolf in her didn't like being cooped up for so long, so she broke out. She had just been wandering the streets when I came across her." Nate noted there was now a softer tone in the human's voice.

"Was she okay when you found her?" He shook his head. "Half starved and in desperate need of both water and a warm home. Because she was just a pup when I found her, my landlord had allowed me to keep her in my apartment, but once she was fully grown, he wanted her out." Nate frowned at that. "Shouldn't he have told you to pay a pet deposit once she was fully grown?" "He was suppose to, but he doesn't allow animals in any of the apartments outside of fish or any animal that won't try to get outside." Nate hummed, kinda understanding that reasoning.

"How old is she now?" "Only two years. Smart thing, though." "Really?" Felix asks, a chuckle on his words. "Oh yeah. I've actually stopped shutting my door because she keeps getting it open; she'll go through the filing cabinets and drawers, she'll manage to open up the fridge and steal stuff out of it--" "Wait, what?!" Felix cackles and Virgil can't help but join in. "Oh, yeah. She's a really trouble maker when she wants to be." Mason scoffed at Virgil's words. "Isn't that all the damn time?" "No. I mean, she'll act up a little more when she's around new people, but that's about it. She's normally laying down either at my feet under the desk or right next to it; yeah, she'll wander around now and then, but it's usually so she can find someone who's bored so they can play with her or take her out for a walk if I'm swamped with work."

Nate giggled at that. He glanced over to Adam, who was scratching Shadow behind her ear, hearing as her tail thumped lightly against the floor. "She loyal?" "Adam, try to threaten me." Virgil nearly ordered, the taller man cocking a brow. He straightened up, and tried to approach Virgil after he shifted his demeanor to appear threatening. Instantly, Shadow was in front of Adam, ears flatten back, her teeth bared as her fur bristled, a low protective growl sounding from the back of her throat. He tried to move a hand towards Virgil and she leapt up, her teeth sinking into his arm and ripping it back down. Adam grunted in pain, wanting to snap her away, but didn't.

Once he relaxed his posture did Shadow stop growling and release his arm. "Any questions?" Virgil asked, tone cocky, but rightfully so. "Damn..." Felix spoke, seeing just how deeply Shadow had bit into Adam's arm. She shifted her body language in response to seeing his bleeding arm, whining softly in apology. "It's okay, girl." He hushed, reaching with his uninjured arm to stroke her head. Of course, she tilted her head, confused, when she saw Adam's wound heal. He kept still as she licked up the blood from his arm, tilting her head again. "They're vampires, sweety. All of them."

Shadow turned to face Virgil, reading him for something, before barking happily, tail wagging so fast Nate was a little worried it might fly off. "Wait...she's okay with that?" Mason asked, confused. "I'm not scared of any of you, so neither is she. Plus, I imagine she knew something was off when you didn't smell exactly like a human." Shadow yipped in response to his words. "She understands us?" Mason, again, asked. "I told you, she's smart." Mason sneered at her. "Okay. So then you'll listen to me when I say DON'T take my fucking smokes again?" Mason growled at her, though he wasn't sure why Sanders was smirking when his dog lowered her front, paws spread a little wide.

"What you just said was basically the same as telling a three year old no: she's gonna want to do it more." "No, no!" He growled as she jumped a little closer, lowering her front in a playful manner again. He grabbed his smokes and held them high above his head, praying that the dog didn't try to steal them again; he was stressed enough as it was. Mason spotted that evil look in her eyes as she kept her playful posture; he  _knew_ she was planning something, and he didn't like that at all. Nate, thankfully, grabbed her attention, Shadow trotting over to him.

"So will she be here at night?" Virgil hummed, though he wasn't too happy about that. "...I really need to find an actual house one of these days." He muttered more to himself than the group, Nate and Felix exchanging a look. "You know, Detective, since you are apart of the Agency now, you do have access to their resources." Nate started, getting everyone's attention. "What? You mean just ask the Agency to buy me a place of my own?" "Yes. If that's what you want; the Agency doesn't take shortcuts to provide for its agents. If a new place is something you need, then they can give you one." Virgil looked a little baffled by Nate's words, but Shadow's barks sounded happy enough.

"I-I mean, I guess? I don't know." "It's just an option, Detective. Though, it might be best for you to find a new place once we've captured Murphy." Nate spoke and the human hummed in what seemed to be agreement. Nate chuckled when Shadow nudged her head against his thigh, seeking more attention he was very willing to give.

* * *

It was later in the day now, just a little past three. Felix, Nate, and Adam went with Virgil to look into a possible lead on Murphy's location. But, since Shadow couldn't join them out in the field until she fully recovered, that meant someone had to stay behind to watch her.

Mason was still a little miffed about it.

Shadow, thankfully, had been resting next to the detective's desk. Virgil explained that she wasn't around when Rebecca first brought them in because she had been severally injured during one of the last patrols he did as an officer and had to take her in for emergency surgery. That had been two months ago. Mason could see the faint outline of her stitches as she laid sprawled out on the floor; it seemed that she had been operated on her left front leg, right hind leg, lower back, and upper chest. Whatever happened to her had been serious indeed.

He was propped up in his normal spot, flicking the ashes of his cigarette into the ashtray Virgil was  ** _insistent_** he used if he was going to smoke in his office, the detective making sure that the window in his office was cracked to air out the room. The vampire stared at the sleeping canine, annoyed at having to watch over her.  _Why did it have to be me? Why not Nate?_ He clearly loved the mutt as much as Virgil did. And why did Virgil have a dog in the first place? Yeah, Mason knows that humans love domesticated animals and treats them like other humans, but he never understood the appeal of having something be reliant on him to survive.

His eyes snapped back to Shadow when she stirred, waking up with a large yawn and stretch. "...What?" He said as Shadow came closer to him, Mason noting that she was scenting the air around him. He flared out his pheromones, hoping to spook her enough to leave him alone, but she didn't even flinch.  _...What?_ That's never happened before. Normally, all Mason had to do was release some of his pheromones and most animals would avoid him like the plague, yet here she was, still poking around him to try and get his full scent.

"Will you leave me alone if I let you smell me?" He asked, which she barked in agreement to. He sighed and leaned forward a little more, offering his hand for her to scent. She stepped closer and bumped her snout against his palm, Mason trying to ignore the cold dampness of it, feeling as she inhaled his scent a couple of times. She kept sniffing as she moved her muzzle so she could get the inside of his wrist. But then, something strange happened. A few minutes passed and Mason raised a brow at her when she didn't pull away; she clearly must have gotten his full scent at this point, so why--

Then he noticed exactly where his fingers were.

They were resting against her throat.

She was baring her throat to him without him realizing it.

"So you submit to me, huh?" She growled, tone challenging, so that clearly wasn't it (as much as Mason wanted it to be). "What then?" She didn't make any kind of movement or noise to clarify, which frustrated Mason to no end. Just then he heard as the others came back at last, Virgil opening up the door to his office, and froze at the sight before him. He stepped in just far enough for the rest of the team to get into the office, but he was clearly shocked at what he was seeing.

So were the others, if Adam's and Nate's stunned looks and Felix's muffled giggling was any indication.

"I, um... ...Heh." Virgil spoke up, a warm grin framing his lips. "You know what she's doing?" Mason asked and the human nodded his head. "Though, to think that she would show you just how much she trusts you even before you like her. Heh, typical Shadow." What? "She knows you're a vampire. She also knows that you can kill her in an instant like that," Virgil spoke up (did he speak that question out loud?), gesturing to how Mason's fingers were resting against his dog's throat, "and yet she's showing you exactly how much she trusts you because she knows you won't kill her. Either because of me or because you actually do like her and are just being a stubborn ass about showing it, she has full faith that you would never intentionally harm her."

Mason moved his eyes from Virgil to his dog, seeing that plain trust in him shining in her vibrate blue eyes. After a moment, Mason scoffed and pulled his hand away. "Whatever." Though, true to their little agreement, Shadow moved away from him. She went back to her spot back Virgil's desk and laid down, a pleased look in her eyes as they locked with Mason's for a moment.  _Well, things will certainly be interesting for a while._ Nate thought to himself as he watched Virgil walk back over to his desk, leaning down to stroke the top of Shadow's head.


End file.
